TAMPA, Fla — Tampa city leaders are set to vote Thursday on the final version of an over $2 billion stadium plan for the Tampa Bay Rays.
Under the current agreement, the city is on the hook for $80 million, which it will cover with a loan rather than an existing half-cent sales tax. The Rays agreed to cover an additional $100 million that the city was originally responsible for.
Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan has been part of the negotiations alongside city and Rays leaders.
"Whenever we go out and recruit companies to come to Tampa and Hillsborough County, uh, they look at the sports, they look at the arts, they look at our schools, our, our housing, our employment base, and so if we were to lose, uh, Major League Baseball, that would be an enormous black eye on our community," Hagan said.
Not everyone on the city council is on board, however. Council member Lynn Hurtak has been vocal in her opposition, releasing a video Wednesday that she called a 'mythbuster' for the project.
"I am pretty much the target market for a new Rays stadium in Tampa. I could ride my bike to games if this proposal went through, but we should reject it because it's a rip-off for Tampa taxpayers," Hurtak said.
A majority yes vote is needed to move the agreement forward. If the council approves the plan, the focus shifts to Hillsborough County commissioners, who are set to take up the same debate Friday. The county's share of the project is significantly larger, totaling $796 million drawn from different funds.
If the council votes no, the current version of the plan would be dead.
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